Weekend Recap

Unlike most weekends, I wasn't counting down the days until Friday like I usually do. Mostly in part to the fact that I didn't really teach last week. Last Monday morning I woke up at 3:30 sick as a dog. Thankfully it passed quickly but I had no energy to go to work and teach my babies. Tuesday, North Carolina was hit yet again with snow and ice so school was called off for all students. Teachers reported to work around 10 which only left us with a 4-hour work day thanks to a longer lunch break. Then Wednesday we had a field trip to the local 4H-Center and Thursday I stayed out of work with little Harper doodle as she was a bit under the weather. So Friday was really my first full day back.

Despite the fact that I hadn't worked most of the week, I was able to catch up fast after work on Friday and managed to head out the door at my usual Friday time of 3:30. I headed to the parents' house to pick up Harper as she spent the day with her Nana and Papa since she was still not back to feeling her best. We spent the afternoon there then headed home to get ready for dinner with the family. When Kev got home we headed to Mayflower for some seafood with Kevin's cousins. They've been absent from our weekly Friday dinners lately so it was nice to catch up. When dinner was over we headed to the hospital to see Kevin's dad. He was put in the ICU last Thursday due to dehydration and low blood pressure. While there we watched Carolina play in the NCAA tournament. We might have gotten a little too loud towards the end because a nurse had to come close the door and remind us that patients preferred it to be quiet in that area of the hospital. Oops...

Saturday morning I had to work. Yes, I said that right. Due to the snow day we had on Tuesday, students had to come to school for a half day on Saturday. You'd think it would have been miserable to work on a Saturday but I have to say it was the best day I've had all year. The kids were great and I actually felt relaxed and covered everything on my plans! Woot woot!

Since Kevin had to work Saturday, my parents kept Harper for me. When school was let out, I headed over to their house. They were out walking in the neighborhood so I parked my car at the house and set out to meet them. As I spotted them, I noticed a car stopped in the middle of the road talking to them. As I got closer I noticed it was Aly & Clint...my best friend and cousin/Aly's fiance. They were headed to Aly's parents house (who happen to also be my neighbors) when they spotted Mom and Dad with a stroller. Aly said she was screaming at Clint to stop because it was her baby. haha I love how they claim Harper as their own :P We stood and talked in the middle of the road for quite some time. By the time we ended our conversation and made our way back to the house, I was starving. We loaded up the babe in Dad's car and we all headed to Circle Drive-In for some hot dogs and fries served car side... one of the perks of living inthe south! After lunch Harper and I headed back home. While Harper napped and played I straightened up the house a bit.

Saturday night Kevin's dad got to come home from the hospital so we went to check on him. My mother-in-law fixed a pot roast with vegetables so we had dinner there. By 8pm, Kevin and I were exhausted and both fell asleep on the couch at the in-laws. I felt horrible for falling asleep when I woke up at 10:45 and saw my mother-in-law playing with Harper. Of course, she assured me it was fine and she was loving every minute she had with Harper.

Kevin had to work again Sunday so it was just me and Harper for the day. We headed to church with my family then had lunch at Mom and Dad's. I headed back to the house around 3. Since Harper was napping when we got back home, I did some more cleaning and organizing. Kevin arrived home shortly after 6:30 with a pizza in tow. The man of my dreams I tell ya :P haha The rest of the evening was spent cuddling on the couch with my little family while flipping back and forth between the NCAA tournament and Hallmark movies. Perfect ending to a weekend if I say so myself...

{Harper}:9 Month Photos

Despite that Harper turned ten months old a few weeks back, I wanted to share her nine month pictures here on the blog. I recently got them back from a local photographer and I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. Our little Harper doodle looked so adorable playing with Mommy's pearls in her little coral lace romper! Can't wait to get these pictures printed and placed around the house!!

 

Our Little Model {volume 2}

Several weeks back, I wrote a post about Harper modeling outfits for Cutesie Whootsie Boutique.  Jennifer, the shop owner, is one of my lovely coworkers and third grade teammates. With all the snow we've had lately here in NC,we have been missing a lot of school. But while we've been out, Jennifer has been working her little hands to death making some of her adorable creations at home. With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, Jen made Harper an adorable outfit complete with a monogram shirt, leggings, tutu, and an adorable headpiece! Thanks to some super warm weather after a mild snowstorm, Harper got to head outside in the back yard and model the cute ensemble for Jen's shop! If you're in need of something cute and festive, check out Jennifer's boutique! She's so easy to work with and can definitely create whatever you envision!

{Monthly Recap}: Nine Months

Weight
This month you weighed in at 17 pounds and 9 ounces during your nine month appointment. You were also a little over 28 inches long. Your doctor says you're going to be tall and slender based on the percentile chart. Sounds like you're going to be built after Mommy... since you got your Daddy's looks, I'll at least take that!

Health
You had your very first surgery this month. We met with an ENT specialist in January and he felt like we needed to go on and put tubes in your ears. You had a hearing test and it showed due to the fluid in your ear, you could barely make out sounds in your left ear. As a teacher that bothered me as I know it may cause developmental delays for you. So we opted to go on with tubes and you did amazing. Your surgery went great and you have been like a new kid every since. Also this month, both of your eye teeth are coming in at the same time. It's sort of weird though considering your two top front teeth are no where to be seen! I thought for sure they'd come in first but I guess not.

Sleep
You are back to sleeping much better this month. You fall asleep around 8 or 9 each night and sleep till 7 unless you're woken up...which happens during the week since we leave for day care at 6:30. Also this month, you've decided to cut out your evening nap. It's been an adjustment but we're getting the hang of your new routine!

Routine
Our routine changed quite a bit this month now that you're getting bigger, sleeping longer, and not napping as often. Mommy and Daddy are still getting ready in the mornings before we get you up. Around 6:15 Mommy comes and wakes you up, changes your diaper and clothes, then we pack you up for a day at daycare. We no longer feed you breakfast at home during the week. While at daycare you play most of the morning, eat lunch, then take a short thirty minute nap after lunch, and then you spend the rest of the afternoon playing. Mommy picks you up around 5:30 each day. You used to take a nap around 5:30 to 7 but this month you cut that out for the most part. Now when we get home, Mommy puts you in your high chair while I unpack your diaper bag and get it repacked for the next day. When I'm done with your diaper bag, I start dinner. In between fixing dinner, you play in your high chair. Around 6:15 you get your dinner of baby food. After you finish we play in the floor or run around the house. Around 7pm, you start to get fussy. By 7:30-8, you're ready for your night time bottle. By 8:30, Mommy or Daddy is putting you in bed and you're calling it a night!

Clothes
Not much has changed here. You're still sticking to size 6-9 months and 9 months outfits. They're fitting your pretty perfectly these days. I just hope you start growing soon because we have a row full of 12 months stuff in your closent in winter styles that I'm having a feeling you aren't going to get much wear out of!

Diapers
We've kept you in size two diapers again this month. They're starting to get a bit snug but we bought a huge box and are trying to use them up. On top of that, there apparently is quite a bit of difference between a size 2 and a size 3. Size 3 diapers seem to swallow your little butt whole whereas the size 2 barely cover it. It's crazy but hopefully we'll be moving you up next month!

Diet
This month you've gained a better appetite for your baby food. You've been a fan of baby food for a while now but you often only ate a half of a container. Now you're consuming three-fourths to the whole thing. You'll practically lick your lips in between bites. It's so funny! Along with your baby food, you're continuing to drink about 6-7 6 ounce bottles a day.

Crying
Your separation anxiety is getting much better this month. I think it's due in part to some of the snow days we've had here lately. With the snow, Daddy has been off work so you've gotten to spend more time with him which has allowed you to bond more with other people and not just Mommy. Besides the occasional crying fit, you're still a pretty happy kid. You still generally just cry if you're hungry.

Milestones
- You're getting two more teeth this month! Woot woot!
- You also had the opportunity this month to model outfits for a coworker of mine's ETSY shop. You did such a great job and your pictures were a huge hit!
- You started pulling yourself up this month and standing.

Likes
- You love for someone to hold you and run your around. You think it's the funniest thing!
- This month you've really grown a love for watching Rimy. You think everything he does is funny... be it chasing after his ball or jumping up and down trying to reach the animals on tv. I can see the two of you are going to be great friends!
- Mashed potatoes! We've been sneaking you table food every now and then and you have a love for mash potatoes like no other... you're definitely your Mama's child!
- Your basketball goal. You love playing with your little basketball goal! I'm not sure if it's because it makes all sorts of noises when you put a ball in the net or if it's just because you've figured out how to make a basket. Either way, you can sit for an hour playing with it! Future basketball player? I hope so!

Dislikes
-  Socks! You pull them off moments after I put them on. It's gotten to the point that Mommy doesn't even bother much with them anymore these days!

Weekend Recap

This past weekend could not have came fast enough ladies. This past week was hard. It was long, tiring, and very emotional. Anything that could have happened did and unfortunately most of it wasn't in the good variety. So when Friday came around, I was shouting TGIF louder than most.  

Unfortunately because of the week I had, I had a desk full of paperwork and a to-do list that was rather long. Typically on Fridays I try to leave work by 4 but this past Friday it just didn't happen. I worked super late. By super late I mean until 6 and that's only because the school janitor was fixing to come run me out of the building if I didn't get to leaving asap. But most of my to-do list was tackled, my desk was clear, and my classroom was back to looking neat and orderly when I left so I was grateful for the extra time. 

Since I worked so late, Kevin had picked up Harper and taken her to his parents' house. After leaving work I headed to meet them there. As soon as I walked in the door, Harper started jumping up and down and was reaching for me. My heart melted right then and there and my stress and worry disappeared. Funny how someone so little can make such a big difference in your day. Harper and I sat in the floor and played for about thirty minutes then headed out to a local seafood restaurant with our usual Friday night gang.

Saturday morning I woke up earlier than the rest of the members of the Holt Household. Since Kevin and Harper were both sleeping soundly, I decided to get up early and treat myself to a nice long bath. It was heavenly. I was able to get myself completely ready for the day before having to tend to Harper. Thankfully by the time she was waking up so was Kevin so he helped me with our morning routine which consisted of a diaper change, breakfast, & morning playtime! 

Since Kevin was off Saturday, which isn't often the case, he volunteered to watch Harper so I could go out and have a little time for myself. Despite how much I love spending time with my family, I was craving some "me time". I took him straight up on the offer and headed to Danville to do a little shopping. I hit up Ross, Marshalls, Old Navy, Target, and Hobby Lobby. Despite some of the adorable things I saw, I walked away from every store empty handed. I just didn't see anything I HAD to have. So I picked us up some lunch from Chick-fil-a instead and headed home. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent tending to our house while Harper spent some quality time with her daddy. While they played, I caught up on laundry and deep cleaned the first floor. I gave our kitchen a much needed scrubbing from top to bottom, straightened up, cleaned out the pantry, and even did a little redecorating. With all of this snow we've had lately, I've been dying for spring so I decided to give our dining room a spring face-lift. To say I'm in love with how it turned out is an understatement! And to top it all off, I didn't spend a dime on the new look. I used place mats that were purchased last year, flowers I already had, and the vases were a wine bottle craft I did a couple of years ago. It's amazing how you can pull pieces together that you never use and create a look that you love. 

Saturday night we headed to Greensboro to celebrate one of Kevin's friend's birthdays. Brandon and Kevin don't get to see each other often and so when he called Kevin at 7pm inviting us to dinner for his birthday at 8, we had to take him up on his offer...despite that we weren't ready, it was nearing Harper's bedtime, and we needed to be walking out the door at that minute. Despite the chaos that ensued to get out the door and to get there, we had a truly great evening. 

Kevin was forced to go to work on Sunday morning so it was just Harper and me. We headed to church with my family. While there Harper got a little hungry and had to resort to eating her toes.. see the picture below! haha 

When church was over my dad volunteered to take Harper to his and my mom's house so I could run some errands before our usual Sunday lunch at my parents' house. It's so much easier to run errands without a baby so I was super grateful. I managed to run to Dollar Tree, go home and change, clean our bedroom, and fold two loads of laundry. It's amazing what you can get done in a short amount of time once you have a baby!

Following lunch with my family, Harper had her nine month photos with a local photographer. They were scheduled for Saturday but Sarah (the photographer) was a bit under the weather. It worked out perfectly as Saturday was rather chilly and Sunday was bright and shiny and was pushing 70 degree weather. Harper's pictures turned out so great and I can't wait to share them. She wore another adorable outfit from  Cutesie Whootsie that my wonderful coworker made her. It's precious and if you're in need of a St. Patrick's Day outfit, you definitely need to check out Jennifer's shop on ETSY! She can make some adorable things!

The rest of our Sunday was spent chowing down on a pizza and snuggling on the couch with my little family while watching a few Hallmark movies. It was the perfect way to end a fabulous weekend with my little family if I do say so myself! 

Here's to hoping you ladies had a fantastic weekend and an even better week (: